1964 Topps #512 Tigers Rookie Stars - Willie Horton / Joe Sparma
On this card: Willie Horton, Joe Sparma
About this card
This is one of the fifty-seven two-player Rookie Stars cards in the 1964 Topps set: fifty-three pair two prospects from one club, and the four league cards (#548, #564, #568 and #572) pair prospects from two clubs. Every one of them is a rookie card for at least one of its two players.
The story on this card
Horton's rookie season was a struggle up close: after a strong spring training that trimmed him down and impressed manager Charlie Dressen, he slumped to an 8-for-59 start and was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in mid-May, where he found his stroke with 28 homers and a .288 average before a late-season recall to Detroit. This 1964 Topps card is a multi-player Rookie Stars issue shared with fellow Tigers prospect Joe Sparma, part of the set's sixth print series. Detroit's hometown slugger, Willie the Wonder combined raw power with a Game 5 throw that helped turn the 1968 World Series during an eighteen-year, 325-homer career.
Joe Sparma's 1964 Topps rookie card, #512, is a Rookie Stars issue from the sixth series that pairs him with fellow Tigers prospect Willie Horton. Sparma reached Detroit that May after a strong showing with Class AA Knoxville, going 5-6 with a 3.00 ERA over 21 games as the hard-throwing former Ohio State quarterback made his major-league debut. A hard-throwing Ohio State quarterback turned Detroit Tigers right-hander, Joe Sparma battled control problems for six seasons before delivering the biggest start of his career, a 1968 pennant-clinching win over the Yankees.
Sources: Wikipedia (Willie Horton) · Wikipedia (Joe Sparma) · SABR BioProject (Willie Horton) · SABR BioProject (Joe Sparma)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 487 | 2 | 26 | 165 | 140 | 91 | 34 | 27 | 2 |
| SGC | 69 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 21 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
Team card: #67 Detroit Tigers
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- #8 1963 American League Batting Leaders
- #12 1963 American League R.B.I. Leaders
- #19 Don Wert
- #39 Hank Aguirre
- #58 Don Demeter
- #98 Bill Bruton
- #128 Mickey Lolich
- #143 Bubba Phillips
- #165 Jerry Lumpe
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1964 Topps #512 card?
It is card #512 of the 587-card 1964 Topps Baseball set, picturing Willie Horton and Joe Sparma. This is one of the fifty-seven two-player Rookie Stars cards in the 1964 Topps set: fifty-three pair two prospects from one club, and the four league cards (#548, #564, #568 and #572) pair prospects from two clubs. Every one of them is a rookie card for at least one of its two players.
Is 1964 Topps #512 a rookie card?
Yes - #512 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Willie Horton and Joe Sparma.
Why is #512 harder to find?
It is a series 5-6 card. Cards from the fifth and sixth print series (#371-522) are a step tougher to find than #1-370; availability in 1964 runs in three tiers, not a cliff.
How many cards are in the 1964 Topps Baseball set?
587 cards, tracked as 589 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 587 with no gaps, and no number carries two different cards; two cards - #4, the A.L. Pitching Leaders, and #517, the seventh-series checklist - carry a catalogued back variation that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, The Topps Archives, Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-11.